Love Me
by rahmfan
Summary: When Amara said the word 'dad', Tabitha feels confused. But a walk in the woods, reflecting on life, love, and family is just what she needs. SLASH ALERT. Tabara.


Disclaimer: "I feel like murdering some woodland animal." "…Is this the wrong time to tell you that I'm a squirrel?"

Author Note- First depressing story; let's party! Haha. Um… dad blew me off today, my brother left me home alone for five hours, and mom is out of town till late tonight so right now is a perfect time to write it. Hope you guys enjoy it. If you like it, leave a review. If this goes good, I'll probably write a series about Tabitha. So review, dammit!

Love Me

The sky was turning a shade of pink, orange and crimson mixed together, and the sun was only peaking out behind some trees. Everyone was inside, either working out in the Danger Room, or in their rooms, catching up on the piles of homework that were bestowed to them for the weekend. Everyone seemed to be doing something, except for a figure leaning against the railing of her balcony.

Blonde hair fell slightly past her shoulders, and her eyes were filled with crystal blue tears as she slowly blew out the smoke that was in her mouth, her cigarette coming up for another puff. Currently, the sixteen year old wore a black tank top and a pair of jeans with multiple tares in them, and on her feet were a pair of black flip-flops.

Tabitha Smith was her name. Everyone at the Institute knew her for being the 'psychotic smoker with the abusive father'. That's not how she planned on starting her new life in Bayville. She had wanted a good reputation, but anything better then what she was known for now.

"Tabby?" There was a soft voice behind her, and the girl turned her head, spotting her fifteen year old roommate, Amara Aquilla. Amara had been her best friend while she was at the Institute, and then later had become something more then even a best friend. Knowing how Amara hated her smoking, she dropped the cigar before turning around, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Hey." Tabitha greeted, giving her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips as the Nova Roma native wrapped her arms around Tabitha's neck. Smiling the signature Aquilla smile, Amara said quietly, "What're you up to?"

"Just thinking." Tabitha replied and Amara pulled away, sitting on her bed. "I got a call from my dad. He wants me to come visit for Thanksgiving." Tabitha, however, had stopped listening after hearing the word 'dad'.

"That's…nice." She replied before glancing towards the door and grabbing her coat off of her bed. "I'm going to go out jogging, alright? I'll be back in a while." Before her girlfriend could reply, Tabby was already outside, jogging out into the forest. She soon stopped, staring at the ground and closing her eyes.

It had taken so long to realize all that she was going to miss out on. There would be no over-protective father to chaperone her on dates, and no father to give the talk about sex to her boyfriend, or in her case, her girlfriend. She wouldn't have a father there for the first dance at her wedding. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized the most important thing.

There wouldn't be any dad to tell her how much he loved her ever again. He was in jail, and she still had the restraining order for her and her mother.

_A seven year old Tabitha was sitting on a bench inside of a park, licking happily at her ice cream cone, as her mother and father sat on a different bench, laughing at one of their adult-rated jokes. Tabitha glanced over and called, "Mommy, daddy! Come over here!"_

Tabitha, watching her memory, was leaning against a post about fifty feet away from the bench inside her mind, hand lighting touching her face as she watched her dad come over, picking her up and twirl her around.

"_Daddy, stop it," Tabitha giggled, grinning as her dad sat down, setting her on his lap. "You're my favorite little girl, do you know that?" he asked, giving her a small Eskimo kiss and she nodded. "Yes I do!"_

"_How much do I love you?" He asked, and she spread her arms out. "_This_ much." He laughed. "Nope, I love you even more then that."_

Opening her eyes, Tabitha breathed out a small sigh before continuing to walk, placing her hands inside of her jean pockets. That was the last time that she remembered him saying that he loved her. Only about a week after that, things started to go wrong. He's leave the house for several days at a time, coming home drunk and, or, stoned, if that had any meaning at all.

She stopped once more and sat down on the cold ground, leaning against a tree trunk, recalling one of those times.

_Nine year old Tabitha Smith tried to close her eyes, and tried to go to sleep, but she couldn't. Her parents were screaming at each other, fighting more then usual. But, with that, she felt someone tug at her hand. Glancing to her other side laid her best friend Annemarie, who was spending the night._

"_Are they always like this, Tabby?" The almost ten year old whispered, and Tabitha sighed. "You get used to it. Come on, let's try to get to sleep."_

_Soon after, Annemarie fell asleep, but Tabitha stayed awake, listening to their screaming. The sixteen year old Tabitha was sitting on the floor outside the door, watching her parents screaming at each other. Soon, the nine year old opened the door to use to restroom, seeing her dad backhand her mother before storming out the door. _

"_Mommy!" Tabitha watched as her younger self ran towards her mom, who was on the floor crying. Dropping to her knees, sobbing, Tabby looked into her moms eyes before hugging her. Meanwhile, the older Tabitha walked outside, watching her dad drive off. Standing in the middle of the street, she felt a tear fly down her face. _

"Daddy…"

Tabitha blinked, before realizing that those tears in her memories were also the ones sliding down her face at the moment. Wiping them away, she got up and continued to walk into the forest. Hugging herself, she stopped, one memory sticking out in her head.

_Everything had been perfect. It was her first date with her first boyfriend, a kid at her school named Josh, and they had gone out to a restaurant. Laughing, she jumped out of his mother's car, thanked them both, and then skipped back to the house, without knocking. Silently, she paused, hearing her mother arguing with someone in the living room._

"_- you think that just because I left four years ago didn't mean I'd come back?" She heard someone snarl, and she started tip-toeing into the other room. There was silence, then she heard her mom scream. "Don't touch me, you bastard!"_

_With that, Tabitha ran into the room, breathing out the word "Mom!" before freezing on the spot. There was her father, pointing a handgun to her mothers shaking head._

_Tabitha turned away and began to run, sobbing uncontrollably as a bullet shot past her head and hit the wall. She stopped and felt something cold, like metal, pressing against her temple. "You tell anyone about this and I'll kill you." She heard her father whisper, and she whimpered a yes. _

Tabitha whimpered the same thing under her breath before running, feeling the tears stream down her face at a rapid pace. The next memory was even worse.

_Tabitha, now fourteen years old, was sitting in court, staring down at her feet as the lawyer kept asking questions._

"_Did you ever hear your mother and father fight?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_Has your father said anything threatening to you or your mother?"_

"_Yes again, sir."_

"_Did your father ever touch you?"_

"_No, sir."_

"_Did your father ever beat you?"_

_Tabitha paused, before whispering, "Yes, sir. I have a scar on my left wrist to prove where he cut me with a knife."_

_The court was silent before the lawyer went through a few more questions. Tabitha, the older one, was standing at the side of the podium, staring at her younger self cry with self pity._

"_Did your father hold up a gun to your and your mothers head on the night of August the seventeenth?"_

_The young Tabby looked up, staring at where her father sat, then to where her mother sat before turning back to her dad. "No, sir, he didn't."_

_Tabitha, who was now sitting in the crowd gulped, watching this, wishing she could have changed time so she would have said yes. _

The next memory, was one of Tabitha's worst. Now sobbing, Tabitha stopped and dropped to her knees. Why did this have to happen to her family? Why couldn't it have been to someone else?

"_Miss Tabitha Smith would like to make a closing comment before the jury comes out." Her father's lawyer stated, and Tabitha stood on the podium, staring at her father, tears already sparkling in her eyes. The other Tabby was sitting in front of her, already knowing the speech._

"_Daddy," She said quietly and looked up at him. "When I was seven, you told me that you loved me. If you loved me, why did you leave?" Tears ran down her face, smearing her makeup. "Why did you leave Mommy to take care of me while you went out and get drunk? If you really loved me, Daddy, you wouldn't have done that." She shuddered, grabbing her stuffed animal, giving it a squeeze before continuing._

"_If you loved me, y-you wouldn't have hurt me or Mommy. Why did you do it? I just wanted a happy family all together. I remember the day, too. September the ninth, you came home drunk, and took a knife to my wrist and told t-t-the hospital I tried to c-commit suicide. I was in a mental h-hospital for six months, daddy. SIX MONTHS."_

"_Even though you don't care about me or love me anymore, it doesn't mean I don't love you…but tell me the truth, Daddy…did you ever truly love me?" With that, she stepped back and collapsed into the arms of her mother. _

Tabitha opened her eyes, sitting up as she wiped her eyes, smearing her makeup once again before sitting there, pulling her knees to her chest, sobbing. Soon, she felt a hand on her shoulder, before turning around, seeing Amara standing there with a worried expression on her face.

"Tabby?" She whispered, before Tabitha let out another sob, collapsing into the other girls arms.

"Thank you, Amara…thank you so much."

"For what?" The Nova Roma princess asked before Tabby smiled.

"For loving me."

(I know, I know…cheesy ending but oh well. R&R!)


End file.
